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Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Find as many books of the Bible as you can in the following paragraph. Some of them span two words or are parts of words. I have made one BOLD to show you what I mean.

I once made a remark about the hidden books of the Bible. It was a lulu. Kept people looking so hard for facts and for others it was a revelation. Some were in a jam, especially since the names of the books were not capitalized. But the truth finally struck home to numbers of readers. To others, it was a real job. We want it to be a most fascinating few moments for you. Yes, there will be some really easy ones to spot. Others may require judges to help them. I will quickly admit it usually takes a minister to find one of them, and there will be loud lamentations when it is found. One little lady says she brews a cup of tea, so she can concentrate better. See how well you can compete. Relax now for there are really sixteen names of books of the Bible in this story.

Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Pope Benedict visited the Northern Italian town of Pavia to visit San Pietro de Ciel D'Oro. The remains of St. Augustine are buried there.

In reading about the history of Saint Peter of the Golden Sun, I was interested to learn that even though everyone knew Augustine's remains were in the Church somewhere nobody could remember exactly where! No wonder - Augustine's remains were brought to Pavia in the mid 700s. Luckily, some construction workers rediscoved them in 1695. This set off a battle for ownership between two Augustinian groups, the Canon Regulars and the Hermits. The Pope at the time had to step in. The Pope? Why, Pope Benedict XIII, who should have been Pope Benedict XII since Pope Benedict X was an anti-pope and shouldn't count.

Friday, April 20, 2007

The item above is used to dry the priest's fingers, the chalice, and the paten AFTER communion. What is it called, and how does it differ from the corporal? BONUS - what's the difference between the chalice and the ciborium?

Born in 1878, St. Gemma Galgani "always had a smile for everyone." She was deemed too sickly to become a nun, but continued to minister to the poor. In 1899, the signs of the stigmata began and continued every Thursday night through Saturday morning until the last three years of her life. At that point her confessor told her not to accept it anymore, and they stopped. She became a saint in 1940.

My 4th grade teacher was named Sister Gemma. She was also my 5th, 6th, and 7th grade teacher at Our Lady of Sorrows School in Vestal, NY. She was...how can I say this...mean. One time, I saw her confiscate a plastic water pistol from a kid and CRUSH IT WITH ONE HAND. Do you think that's easy? Then try it....

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

St. Fulbert was the Bishop of Chartres beginning in 1007. He got there in time to rebuild the Cathedral, which had been destroyed by fire. Unfortunately, the rebuilt Cathedral also burnt down; its replacement (above) is considered one of the greatest examples of Gothic architecture anywhere in the world.

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS' QUARTERBACK TOM BRADY – Quarterback Tom Brady celebrates the New England Patriots' Super Bowl victory Feb. 3, 2002, in New Orleans. The father of the three-time Super Bowl championship quarterback told more than 1,000 men gathered for the the 7th Annual Worcester Diocesan Men's Conference at the DCU Center in Worcester, Mass. He said, in talking about his family, that “we’re not talking about the Brady Bunch on TV where everything seems to work out.” (CNS/Reuters)

Unmarried Tom and his "girlfriend" are about to have a baby. I guess that's what his dad is talking about when he says they're not the "Brady Bunch".

Monday, April 02, 2007

So a retired cop and his wife, neither of them particularly religious, go to visit the Vatican. While the Pope speaks nearby, he snaps this picture - he likes the way the light was coming in through the windows. And what does he find when he downloads the photo to his computer?